Tag Archives: Duke Blue Devils

Weekend recap: Duke in the NCAA Tournament

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Five Duke teams opened NCAA Tournament play this weekend, and all five survived the weekend with some dramatic wins. Here’s a look at how the Blue Devils have fare thus far in postseason action:

Freshman Case Matheis scored three goals to lead Duke past Loyola in a double-overtime thriller. (Eric Lin/The Chronicle)

Case Matheis scored three goals to lead Duke past Loyola in double-overtime. (Eric Lin/The Chronicle)

Men’s lacrosse: Freshman Case Matheis scored the game-tying and game-winning goals for the Blue Devils as seventh-seeded Duke defeated Loyola 12-11 in double-overtime Sunday at Koskinen Stadium. The Blue Devils advance to their seventh straight appearance in the NCAA quarterfinal, where they will face No. 2 seed Notre Dame Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

Women’s lacrosse: The Blue Devils got some sudden-death magic of their own this weekend. Duke battled Princeton in double-overtime without leading scorer Makenzie Hommel. Freshman Maddy Acton played the role of unlikely hero for the Blue Devils, scoring to give Duke a 10-9 victory in Annapolis, Md. Advancing to the second round, Duke took on eighth-seeded Navy and held Jasmine DePompeo—the leading scorer in the country—to no goals and one assists on seven shots, defeating the Midshipmen 10-5 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Blue Devils will take on top-seeded Maryland in College Park, Md. Saturday at noon.

Henrique Cunha remained perfect on the season in singles play as the Blue Devils won two NCAA Tournament matches. (Eric Lin/The Chronicle)

Henrique Cunha remained perfect on the season in singles play as the Blue Devils won two NCAA Tournament matches. (Eric Lin/The Chronicle)

Men’s tennis: Ninth-seeded Duke cruised through its first two NCAA Tournament matches, sweeping Coastal Carolina 4-0 Friday and following that up with a 4-0 dismantling of UNC-Wilmington in the Blue Devils’ second-round match Saturday at Ambler Tennis Stadium. Senior Henrique Cunha continued his winning ways, improving to 18-0 on the season in dual singles matches. Duke advances to the Round of 16, where it will square off with No. 8 seed Kentucky Thursday at 8 p.m. in Urbana, Ill.

Women’s tennis: Despite competing with just five players and being forced to forfeit a singles match and a doubles match, Duke found a way to survive and advance with two weekend wins in Lubbock, Texas. Strong doubles play helped the Blue Devils to defeat Ole Miss 4-1 in their first round match Saturday, but Duke ran into some trouble in the second round against 16th-seeded Texas Tech. The Blue Devils rallied from a 3-2 deficit to take a 4-3 victory Sunday against the Red Raiders and earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 16. Duke will face top-seeded Florida in Urbana, Ill. Friday at 10 a.m.

Women’s golf: The Blue Devils dug themselves out of a six-stroke hole on the final day of competition to take the NCAA Central Regional championship in Norman, Okla. Duke shot a 12-under-par as a team on the final round to surge past its host, fourth-ranked Oklahoma, to take the championship by six shots. Senior Courtney Ellenbogen shot the best round of her career Saturday with a five-under 67 in the final round. Alejandra Cangrejo turned in the best three-hole performance of her career, finishing at a five-under-par 211 and tying for second place individually. The Blue Devils advance to the NCAA Championships in Athens, Ga. next week, where they will take on top programs Alabama and Southern Cal.

Check out all of The Chronicle’s NCAA Tournament coverage at www.dukechronicle.com.

Sportswrap: JUST BEAT IT

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Duke baseball is turning some heads under first-year skipper Chris Pollard.

Behind a complete game shutout from pitcher Robert Huber, the Blue Devils took two out of three this weekend from No. 15 Georgia Tech.

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Duke baseball shut out Georgia Tech twice this weekend, the first time the Yellow Jackets had been shut out twice in the same series since 1955 (Sam Jactel / The Chronicle).

This week’s Sportswrap, The Chronicle’s weekly sports supplement, shows Duke baseball’s triumphant victory, the team’s second over a ranked conference opponent this season. For the rubber match of the three-game series, the Blue Devils drew the inspiration they needed from the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Here are all the stories from a busy weekend of Duke sports:

Blue Devils fall to Maryland in semifinal rematch

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After clawing back to a 10-8 deficit early in the fourth quarter, Duke surrendered six unanswered goals to Maryland, falling 16-10 in the NCAA tournament semifinal. Maryland’s sharpshooting was on display throughout scoring 16 goals on 29 shots.

With the loss, the Blue Devils fall short of the national championship game for the second consecutive season. The Terrapins advance to Monday’s title game against Loyola (Md.). Maryland is searching for its first national championship since 1975 in a matchup with its fiercest lacrosse rival.

Duke failed to execute in Maryland’s third, especially in man-advantage situations. The Blue Devils’ extra-man unit, which has struggled all season, was unable to convert on multiple opportunities when the deficit was closed to two goals. The Terrapins took advantage of Duke’s inability to score, stringing together six goals to put the game out of reach.

The Blue Devils struggled on the defensive end, allowing its highest goal total of the season. Maryland attacked the center of Duke’s defense as nine different Terrapins found the back of the net. Dan Wigrizer only managed seven saves while allowing 13 goals before he was taken out of the game with 7:29 to play. Both Kyle Turri and Mike Rock saw action in the game’s final minutes as Duke pulled its goalies out of the cage to double the ball in hopes of mounting a comeback.

 

Blue Devils trail Maryland at halftime

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Much to Duke’s dismay, this year’s NCAA tournament semifinal is looking eerily similar to last year’s thus far.

At the half, the No. 3 seeded Blue Devils (15-4) trail unseeded Maryland (11-5) 7-4 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. Six different scorers have tallied goals thus far for the Terrapins, who have controlled possession and the pace of the game for the first two quarters.

The Blue Devils were unable to create opportunities in transition in the first half, falling into the Terrapins slow pace. Maryland’s patience paid off in its shot selection, scoring seven goals on just 12 shots.

Ball movement was a struggle for Duke as the Terrapins clamped down on the defensive end. Just one of the Blue Devils’ four goals was assisted, while Maryland players recorded assists on six of the Terrapins’ seven goals.

Duke placed a high emphasis on faceoffs coming into this week’s matchup, and despite winning 7 of 12 draws, have struggled to maintain possession. Two of the Blue Devils’ four goals came off successful draws, but Duke has struggled to create offense otherwise. Stringing together goals has been one of Duke’s strengths throughout the season, but the Terrapins have been successful in keeping the Blue Devil offense out of its rhythm.

Duke will begin the second half with the man advantage after Maryland committed a one-minute penalty with 1.5 seconds remaining in the second quarter.

More postseason accolades for Duke’s Costabile

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Duke’s C.J. Costabile has been selected as the 2012 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award winner in NCAA Division I men’s lacrosse, according to a press release issued Sunday morning. The announcement and trophy presentation were made today by Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, during the NCAA Division I Men’s Lacrosse Championship.

Costabile was chosen by a nationwide vote of Division I men’s lacrosse head coaches, national media and fans as the most outstanding senior student-athlete. The Senior CLASS Award recognizes seniors who have notable achievements in four areas of excellence—community, classroom, character, and competition.

A 2012 First-Team All-American and ACC Co-Defensive Player of the Year, Costabile has recorded a team-high 137 ground balls this season, adding six goals and four assists. He picked up a career-high 15 ground balls in Duke’s NCAA quarterfinal victory over Colgate.

Off the field, in addition to being an All-ACC academic selection, the Tewaaraton Trophy finalist has been active in Duke’s community service initiatives. Along with many of his Blue Devil teammates, Costabile has volunteered his time at a local Ronald McDonald house, cooking dinner for Durham families in need. He also volunteers his time at Duke Children’s Hospital.

“This is a great honor, not only for C.J., but for the entire Duke lacrosse program. C.J. is a great young man and is just one of many outstanding men who have come through our program,” head coach John Danowski said. “He has shown great dedication not only on the field, but also in the classroom as well as in our many community service projects. It’s fantastic that he is being recognized.”

Costabile also received the Lt. j.g. Donald Maclaughlin Jr. Award as the nation’s top midfielder earlier this week.

Duke ousts Colgate, advances to championship weekend

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Sparked by a huge second quarter run, No. 3 seed Duke (15-4) knocked off Colgate (14-4) 17-6 in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament at PPL Park in Chester, Pa. With the victory Duke advances to championship weekend for the sixth consecutive season. The Blue Devils move on to face Maryland next Saturday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Ma.

The Raiders, who entered play as one of the hottest teams in the country, put pressure on Duke early in the contest. After falling behind 4-2 to an energized Colgate squad, the Blue Devils mounted an emphatic run to put the game away. Duke’s offensive unit was sharp as the Blue Devils responded with 13 unanswered goals. Robert Rotanz led the way for Duke, tallying a career-high five goals and adding an assist. Eight different scorers notched goals for the Blue Devils in the contest.

Duke held Colgate scoreless for a 26:14 stretch that spanned from the end of the first quarter to the middle of the third. On the defensive end, Henry Lobb was stellar, holding Colgate’s Peter Baum, the nation’s leading scorer, to just one goal. Junior Dan Wigrizer was strong between the pipes. Though he was not tested often during Duke’s long run, Wigrizer faced significant action during the third period and recorded nine saves in the game, keeping the Raiders at bay when they attempted to claw back.

CJ Costabile was a force at the faceoff spot for the Blue Devils, winning 14 of 20 draws. Costabile also added 15 ground balls, many of which allowed Duke to control possession for the majority of the second and third periods as it broke the game open.